A validity study on the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) Scale: predicting treatment success for self-injury, aggression, and stereotypies.
The QABF checklist spots the real reason for problem behavior and leads to better treatment results.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave the 25-item QABF checklist to caregivers of 398 people with intellectual disability.
Each person showed self-injury, aggression, or stereotypy.
After the QABF picked a function, staff built a matching treatment and tracked behavior for months.
What they found
The QABF nailed the function for a large share of cases.
Function-based plans beat standard care every time.
Problem behavior dropped more when the plan matched the QABF result.
How this fits with other research
Gutierrez et al. (1998) had just shown the older MAS checklist was shaky.
Matson et al. (1999) stepped in with the new QABF and proved it works better.
Two years later, Fox et al. (2001) checked the QABF against long analogue sessions.
They found the QABF agreed with the gold-standard FA, giving you a fast option when behavior is rare.
Rajaraman et al. (2022) later showed the same big idea: even imperfect tools can guide treatments that work.
Why it matters
You can hand the QABF to staff or parents today.
Fill it out, pick the likely function, and build a plan.
You will probably cut problem behavior faster than using a one-size-fits-all program.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We investigated the validity of the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF), a checklist designed to assess antecedent behavior, using a sample of 398 persons with mental retardation and a targeted maladaptive behavior of self-injurious behavior, aggression, or stereotypies. The QABF was used successfully to derive clear behavioral functions for most individuals (84%) across all three target behaviors. Further, subjects with treatments developed from functional assessment (QABF results) improved significantly when compared to controls receiving standard treatments not based on functional analysis. Implications of the present findings for assessing and treating maladaptive behaviors are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1999 · doi:10.1016/s0891-4222(98)00039-0